March Books

This month I did something new.  I signed up with NetGalley to be a reviewer.  This will allow me to read upcoming books.  I am looking forward to all the new authors and stories that I might have otherwise missed.  I will add Netgalley to the entries that are Net Galley ARC, also I will post the reviews to Goodreads before here (most likely).

Strange and Ever After by Susan Dennard
Generes: fantasy/teen/steampunk/magic

This is the last book in the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy.  I am still in love with Eleanor, Daniel, Jie, Joseph and Oliver.  They are wonderful characters with great development.  But, I am unhappy with the story.  At times it felt like the plot was lost with all action.  The love arc felt rushed and confused.  Most of all I was just disappointed with the ending.  It felt too bland.  I also missed the wit, that clever banter found in the first 2 books was sadly lacking in the third.  Overall I would recommend this to anyone who has read the other books but only with the caveat that this is the last book and end of the story.

The Liar's Bench by Kim Michele Richardson
Generes: fiction/southern US/teen/history
NetGalley Book

I am conflicted about this book.  It has a great story but it felt like forever getting to it.  The flashbacks were frequent and not always necessary to the course of the story.  Certain details were referred to but not told of until much much later in the book.  I liked the first quarter and the last quarter of the book but it just felt too disorganized in the middle.  Overall I liked this book.  Mudas is an excellant character.  The setting of 1972 Kentucky is pretty well done.

Cold Deception by D.B. Tait
Generes: mystery/romance
NetGalley Book

I guess I was in need of change.  I actually really enjoyed this book.  I have not read a mystery in ages.  I should really start to fx that.  I was thinkig I was just getting a fluffy mystery with a little romance but I got so much more. Julia is a strong and relatable character who you will cheer to suceed. She has just been released from prison and finding her footing when everthing just goes plain wrong. Set in Austrlia, a new setting for me, with wonderful discrpitions of the land and people.

Seconhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
Generes: paranormal, romance, witchy, mystery
Audiobook

This was my pick for the "year of new to me books".  I went out on a limb with this book.  It is not something I would have looked at if Goodreads had not kept putting it on the recommend screen.  I am very glad that they did.  It was a bit of cute to end the month on.  Now, this is not some great mystery thriller.  But instead a great little kookie read for a weekend of giggles.  I really like the main character and her back story.  Oscar is adorable.  I am looking forward to tracking down more of these to read later on.  On the plus side, the voice actress for the audio book is very pleasant!!



I am rather excited about my reading list for April.  It is shaping up to be all over the place!  I love it when that happens. So far this is my TBR list:

• Discovery of Witches
• Lowcounttry Boneyard (Netgalley)
• The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy (Netgalley)
• Blackbird House (audiobook)

Weekly photo challenge

I have hit a creative wall when it comes to my photography.  I need an infusion of ideas.  I went serching for a photography challenge.  I found many 30 day challenges but they did not thrill me at all.  In fact, they seemed rather bland all and all.

I stumbled accrossed the weekly challenge on The Daily Post and I like the format.  I know that if you are on wordpress you can particpate easily but I am not on wordpress.  I will still be posting a new picture for the weekly challenge, just not sure on what day.  The challenges are announced on Friday,  I think Wednesday will give me enough time to complete the task.

March 20th announcement

Fresh (not new photo)

My favorite app

 I know everyone claims to have a favorite app but this app has been on every one of my phones!  Yes, both my iphone and my android phones.  That is a huge plus in my book.  Since I started this app as a webapp in my Chrome browser I did not have to start over when I moved to the dreaded iphone. 

DUOLINGO

This is a forgien language study app.  It consists of different quizes at varying levels.  I am level 7 but still in the first teir of the German program.  As you complete lessons they will turn golden but if you let it sit idle for too long they will go back to needing work or strengthening.

I am studing German, which I had taken in High School.  Jason lived for many years in Geramny so it is what I want to learn.  I really enjoy it.  The lessons are short and very easy to digest.  I recommned this to anyone of any age who wants an easy way to learn a new langauge or maintain a langauge.

Screen of the web page for me.

Lesson selection screen and Question screen in the moblie app.

Tarot card of the year

I was sorting emails this morning when I finally open the Llewellyn's tarot newsletter.  (For those who do not know, I am an amateur tarot reader.  In fact that is how I met Jason, but that is a whole another post.) The main article was about my favorite card, Strength.  It was actually chosen by Jeanette Roth at the North Star Tarot Conference to be the card for 2015.

She spoke about the history and evolution of the card meaning.  What I liked the most is that her interpretation of the strength card is the same as mine.

Jeanette surprised us all again by going back to the root of the word that is on the oldest cards that still exist: "La Forza." Jeanette says that the original meaning of that word is courage. So the question is more properly expressed as:
"The question is not will you handle your problems with physical strength or by using your will but, rather, do you have the courage to face the things you need to face?"

I have always seen and used the card in this fashion.  There is something on the horizon that you will have to muster the strength to face.

February reads

I did a lot of reading in February, which is surprising since I also moved.  Jason and I are officially living in downtown Chattanooga.  I love the new place, and I will have a reading patio come the spring.  I am looking forward to morning cuppas and books on the patio!!  SQUEE!




Freak of Nature by Julia Crane

This was a freebie that I downloaded on a whim ages ago just to have as a back up book.  I should have started it sooner.  It is written a bit simply but that is due to the age of the main character, Kaitlyn.  This is a very interesting twist on the coming of age story type.  It is a story of a young lady who has donated her body to science.  Her body has been used to create the first cyborg weapon/soldier but her mind, her emotions, she has survived.  Worth a read and I am planning on picking up more in this series once time allows.

Hit List and Bullet by Anita Blake

I really have enjoyed the series,  But now I am on the fence.  The books did go back towards Anita Blake vampire executioner and smart/bad ass.  It still seemed to not have the correct ratio with her ever problematic love life and her profession.  Plus the ending of a major arc was SO DISAPPOINTING!  I mean you build up to this point over many books and then finish it in 3 pages at the end of a book.  Not cool!  I have been reading the reviews on the next book and cannot honestly find the desire to read it yet.  May be later on this year I will pick it up.


Vampire Academy and Frost Bite (Vampire Academy #2) by Rachelle Mead

I am sucked in (no that pun was not intended).  I picked up this series after reading a few quotes on Goodreads and it is enjoyable.  Good character development, and some nice story lines to go along with it.  This series is so worthy of recommendations.  Yes, it is vampires and teenage drama angst.  Just think of it as a guilty pleasure like Pretty in Pink.


The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons

Look I read big people ficition.  This was a whim.  I am still not sure how I feel about it.  I liked it, the story was engaging.  It just felt a bit bland.  Too much detail on one side and not enough in others, very unbalanced.  I can understand the imbalance  but still makes me not happy.  I am not sure if I would think to recommend this book to others.  It just does not stand out at all.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Very much worth the wait.  I loved this book.  Which is not surprising, I love this author.  I have read this book twice.  I love rereading her stories.  Bay shines in this book as the main spotlight along with Claire.  All the Waverly women are there in thier odd glories.  It is most assuredly magical realism.  I cannot place why I love these stories or why I tell everyone to read them but I do.  So enjoy and look forward for more great things from this author.